Microsoft brings out the big guns to help with Win10 updates

In a laudable development, Microsoft engineers are providing support for users who have problems with Windows 10 updates

Yesterday, shortly before Microsoft released its Windows 10 cumulative update KB 3147458, I saw a tweet from Microsoft engineer John Wink. It said simply, "April updates for #Windows10 will be out soon. Please tweet me any issues with #KB3147458 and #KB3147461. Thanks!"

As a rather jaundiced sort, I figured that open offer of help with wayward updates was another Microsoft marketing campaign. I was very wrong. Wink is now spearheading an effort to genuinely help folks who have problems with Windows 10 updates. His efforts extend to Twitter (@johnwinkmsft), the Microsoft Answers forum, and Technet. Wink started the effort in March, but it now appears to be in full swing.

Microsoft has made two bold moves in user support over the past couple of years: The effort led by Gabe Aul (@gabeaul) to keep everyone informed about Microsoft's Insider Preview beta testing has become the stuff of legends. This effort led by Wink to pick up the patching pieces may ascend to equally lofty heights and reach a much wider audience. They're both highly commendable.

Wink is bound to become overwhelmed in the next couple of days, as the volume of questions and complaints undoubtedly mounts. It's a Herculean task -- cleaning out the Win10 update stables -- but he's tackling the problem head-on. And every answer I've seen from Wink has been spot on.

He's getting a very able helping hand on the Answers forum from an unidentified poster, known as PCR Just PCR. It's not clear if this is a Microsoft employee -- but he (or she) should be.

Straight answers from Microsoft engineers who know what they're doing -- what a concept.